Reading 7 : Vocabulary from Context
Objectives: TOEFL iBT Reading Skills: • Review and practice academic vocabulary • Learn and practice strategies for figuring out the meaning of unknown words • Practice with one Reading passage and questions
Introduction Start by gathering your vocabulary cards and shuffling them thoroughly. These cards will be used for a quick self- quiz session to reinforce your understanding of the words . For each card, focus on these four main questions: What’s this word? How do you spell it? What does it mean? Can you use it in a sentence? Hold up the side of the card with the word or picture showing and answer the questions aloud . Then, check your responses against the answers provided on the back of the card. This activity will strengthen your grasp of spelling and meaning while encouraging you to think about how to use the words in practical sentences. Repeat this process regularly to build your vocabulary effectively. Application When you encounter a word you don’t know while reading, it can feel challenging, but there are effective ways to uncover its meaning. Start by examining the sentences around the word—these often contain clues about what the word means . For example, they may include comparisons, definitions, or explanations that help you understand . You can also break the word down into smaller parts, such as prefixes, roots, and suffixes, to understand its structure and meaning . Sometimes, a word may remind you of similar words you already know, offering further hints . Using these strategies will strengthen your vocabulary, not just for reading but also for the listening, speaking, and writing sections of the TOEFL, where academic language frequently appears . Consider this example sentence: “Unlike vertebrates, invertebrates such as worms lack backbones.” To understand the word invertebrates, focus on the word unlike. It signals a contrast between vertebrates and invertebrates. Since vertebrates have backbones, you can infer that invertebrates are animals that do not have backbones .
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